


A Habit

by serenamarisa



Series: Robron Week 2020 [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fluff and Humor, M/M, robert isn't the only one obsessed with his car
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24164125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenamarisa/pseuds/serenamarisa
Summary: Robron week 2020 day 3 - Dads."You try having a toddler who refuses to go to bed."Seb always has one request before he goes to sleep.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: Robron Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740853
Kudos: 36





	A Habit

**Author's Note:**

> this is really short and something that I literally wrote this afternoon. I hope you enjoy :)

It started when Seb was four. He’d gone with Moira and Isaac on a weekend trip to a donkey sanctuary outside Leeds. Moira had a friend there so they were staying in her house overnight, letting Aaron and Robert have a night free.

Just as they were getting ready to sit down and watch something that wasn’t a cartoon – like usual – the phone rang.

Aaron groaned as he slowly got up from his position on the sofa to answer it, picking up with the nicest voice he could muster.

“Hello?” he answered down the phone.

“ _Aaron, It’s Moira.”_ She replied, sounding worn out.

Aaron’s nerves suddenly sky rocketed as he pulled the phone closer to his ear, worried that something had happened. “What’s wrong?” he asked nervously, causing Robert to turn his head, confusion etched on his face.

“ _No there’s nothing wrong.”_ She quickly calmed him, “ _Seb’s not sleeping.”_

He breathed a sigh of relief and his muscles quickly relaxed, “Does he have Teddy?” he questioned, knowing he had definitely packed it as Seb could never sleep without it.

 _“Yeah, he has Teddy.”_ Moira told him, _“I put them to bed hours ago, Isaac’s fast asleep but Seb is just wide awake every time I check in. Maybe he’s just not used to me enough to handle being away without you.”_

Aaron nodded, “Yeah okay I understand, it’s still early so one of us will be there to collect him.”

Moira thanked him before he hung up, walking back over to the sofa.

“What’s going on?” Robert asked as he had only caught Aaron’s side of the conversation.

“It’s Seb, he’s not sleeping” he informed him, “I said I would go and pick him up, probably just misses his bed.”

Aaron went to reach for his coat and Robert picked up his keys to throw over to him. “Take my car. Saves you from having to move the car seat again.”

They really needed to get two of those. Aaron nodded his thanks and held to keys in his enclosed hand as he put his coat on. He pecked Robert on the cheek before leaving the house, “Won’t be long!” he shouted before the door closed with a bang.

-

Once he got to the house, Moira opened the door and welcomed him in. She led him through to the main sitting area where a woman was sat on one end of the sofa, a colouring book on her lap and Seb sat next to her. As he stepped into he room, Seb’s head turned and he smiled.

“Daddy!” he shouted, jumping off the sofa and running towards Aaron who scooped him up in an embrace.

“Hey, buddy.” He spoke softly, “You not feeling tired after your day with the donkeys?”

Seb shook his head, still smiling and playing with the hood on Aaron’s coat. “Daddy’s car.”

The adults all let out a small laugh, not quite sure what he meant.

“Yeah, it’s just out the front.” Aaron answered him, picking up the bag that Seb had brought with him, “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

-

Seb was making noises during the first part of the journey back home. He was babbling to himself, asking Aaron odd questions and singing random parts of songs together. Aaron thought there must be some explanation involving sugar for him to be so hyper.

He started to settle down about ten minutes later and the car was finally silent. Aaron looked in the rear view mirror to see the boy fast asleep in his little blue car seat. He shook his head and smiled to himself, happy that he’d finally got some sleep, all it took was some familiarity.

When they got home, Aaron explained his theory to Robert who was confused when he’d walked in with a sleeping Seb in his arms.

“I don’t get it though” Robert said quietly as he stood in the bedroom doorway, watching Aaron tuck Seb in, “He’s stayed with Diane overnight, even without Teddy once.”

“Yeah but he’s done that since he was a baby.” Aaron whispered, standing up from the bed and stepping on the landing with Robert, “This was the first time he’d been at someone else’s and properly aware of it.”

Robert shrugged, and pulled Aaron by the waist. “I love it when you go all fatherly therapist on me.”

Aaron rolled his eyes and leaned up to kiss him, pushing him towards their bedroom.

-

Seb was stood at the door in his pyjamas and dressing gown, jumping excitedly on the spot. It had just turned nine o’clock, way past his bedtime.

“Seb, mate, can we just give it a miss for tonight?” Aaron asked through a yawn. Seb had been refusing to go to bed for the last week without being driven around in Robert’s car. _Specifically_ Robert’s. He’d be tired the whole evening but as soon as bedtime came, he would suddenly perk up and demand a drive in Robert’s car – in which he would fall asleep.

He frowned and stomped his foot, “But Daddy I can’t sleep without driving.” He whined, moving his arms around, flailing Teddy – who he was holding – around.

Just on time, Robert came jumping down the stairs holding a book. “Hey, Seb, look.” He said, pointing to the cover of the book. It had a giraffe on. “Just like one of your toys. If you go upstairs now, we can read it for a bit?”

Seb kept on frowning and faced the door, his arms folded. Robert sighed and walked over to him, crouching down to see his face that was still grumpy.

“Daddy’s a bit tired tonight.” He explained softly, “it might be dangerous if you go in the car with tired Daddy.”

The boy turned around and looked over at Aaron who was at on the sofa. Aaron pretended to yawn again, trying to emphasise his tiredness.

Seb turned back to Robert who smiled softly.

“You take me.” He said bluntly.

Robert’s face fell and Aaron let out a breathy laugh.

“Me?” Robert asked him, his eyes darting between Aaron and his son. “I thought you wanted it to be Daddy Aaron?”

“But you said he was dangerous.” Seb argued. Robert couldn’t help but smile at that, the misunderstanding providing more comedy than the boy was aware of.

“Why not?” Aaron said from the sofa, getting up slowly, “It is _your_ car.”

Robert gave him a stare and shook his head. “I have – I have stuff I need to do.” He tried to argue.

“More important than your son?” Aaron joked lightly, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout that Seb saw and copied. Robert looked down at the pouting boy and sighed.

“Fine.” He relented, making Seb grin and jump up and down towards the door, holding onto the handle for leverage.

-

Like clockwork, Seb fell asleep in his car seat strapped to the back seats. Robert smiled as he pulled into a layby outside Emmerdale and turned in his seat to see the little boy sleeping peacefully, Teddy sat on his lap.

Robert dug around in his pocket for his phone and pulled it out to take a photo of the sleeping boy. He sent it to Aaron with the message:

_\- Just drove around the village and then the fields. Sleeping soundly._

_\- Obviously as interested in farming as his Dad. ;)_

Came the reply.

Robert smiled and put the phone back in his pocket, starting the car up again to drive back home.

As he got to the village, he saw Victoria leave the pub and head towards her house. She waved before she crossed the road and he slowed to a stop, winding down the window.

“Where have you been?” she said loudly, causing him to bring a finger up to his mouth and tell her to shush before gesturing to the boy asleep in the back. She looked at Seb confused and brought her hands up encouraging him to answer her question.

He sighed, “Just a drive.”

“With him?” she asked, even more confused.

“You try having a toddler who refuses to go to bed.” He answered, suddenly realising he’d spoken rather loudly and Seb was stirring.

“What?” Victoria whispered, stifling a small laugh and looking between her brother and Seb.

“He won’t go to bed until me or Aaron have taken him on a drive.” He explained, “Well, Aaron has done it the last week – this is my first time.”

“That’s really weird.”

Robert snorted quietly, “Well he is related to you, so it’s expected I guess.”

“Hey!” Victoria exclaimed but laughed it off. She reached through and stroked Seb’s head before saying goodnight to both of them and heading towards her house.

-

It was almost routine for the next few years. Seb would sleep fine in the day and when he would have nap time at nursery, but when it was time for him to go to bed for the night, he would demand a drive in the car. Aaron and Robert took it in turns, even going as far to making a rota for the week, subject to how much work they were expecting in the day. It was all for Seb’s safety, of course, even though there was a new Top Gear episode every Thursday evening that would always coincidentally be Robert’s day.

They were worried that Seb’s social life would be impacted once he started to get older and got invited to sleepovers, which he turned down in favour of being at home where his usual routine happened. Some arguments were started due to this incident, Robert claiming that Aaron was too soft on him. 

-

Seb was turning ten and he was upstairs cleaning his room out for when his friends came round the next day.

Robert and Aaron were busy downstairs, filling the cupboards with all the food that had just been delivered for Seb’s birthday party and the meal in the evening that Seb said he would help Robert cook.

It was nearing nine o’clock and Seb still hadn’t come down to get ready to go out for the drive.

“Seb!” Aaron called up the stairs, “Come on, it’s getting late.”

There was no answer.

Aaron decided to go up to get him himself, he was probably playing on the Nintendo DS that they had bought him as an early birthday present.

As he got to his room, he could see that the lights were off through the gap in the door and slowly opened it so he could see better. It was a sight that he started to think was impossible.

He quietly ran down the stairs, to get Robert, whispering his name and gesturing for him to come upstairs. They both quietly tip-toed upstairs and peeked into Seb’s room.

He was laying in his bed, his slippers placed perfectly on the floor next to it and his Nintendo DS was shut and on his desk.

Aaron walked over to the bed to check that he really was asleep, confirming it with a silent nod and thumbs up to Robert who was stood by the door. They exited the room as silently as they had come in and tip toed back downstairs, both smiling widely.

Once they got to the bottom of the stairs they both fist bumped the air and let out a giggled as they pulled each other into a tight embrace.

“God, we are horrible people.” Aaron admitted and Robert laughed as he pulled away to look at him.

“Five years, Aaron.” Robert said, still smiling, “My car is probably as happy as we are right now.”

Aaron laughed and looked over to the door, seeing a small boy dressed in a long dressing gown running around excitedly. A small feeling of sadness swept over him.

“It is a bit sad though.” Aaron admitted, turning back to Robert, “He’s growing up.”

Robert sighed and shrugged, before a small smile appeared on his face.

“What?” Aaron asked suspiciously.

“This is going to be a great story to tell at his wedding.” He laughed but Aaron slapped his arm playfully.

“You’re evil.” Aaron joked, but was secretly impressed by the idea.

“And you love me.” Robert said softly as he pulled Aaron towards him by the waist.

Aaron hummed contently as he kissed him gently on the lips. "I do."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading :)


End file.
